Ash-pan.



No. 639,392. Patented Dec. I9, I899. H. W. HUFF & .l. M. LOTSPEICH.

A S H P A N (Application filed Jan. 5, 1899.)

No Model.)

tTnD STATES PATENT OFFI E.

HUGH .WILLIAM I-IUFF, OF NEWPORT, AND JOSEPH M; LOTSPEICH, OF BYBEE, TENNESSEE.

ASH-PAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,392, dated December 19, 1899. Application filed January 5, 1899- Serial No.70l,263. (No model.)

declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Thisinvention relates to ash pans or receivers; and it consists, substantially, in such features of improvement as will hereinafter be more particularly described.

The invention has for its object to provide an ash pan or receiver adapted to fireplacegrates of different or varying sizes and one also that serves effectually to catch all the ashes from the grate, and thereby prevent accumulation of the ashes between the sides of the receiver and the sides of the fireplace.

The invention also has certain other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ash pan or receiver embodying our improvements; and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 4: 4, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view in detail.

Preliminarily to a more detailed description, it may be stated that our improved ash pan or receiver is practically telescopicas to length, and the same can also be similarly constructed as to its width or transverse dimension, so that the said pan or receiver is thereby rendered extensible or adj ustable in bot-h directions, by which to adapt it for use in connection with fireplace-grates of different sizes. Preferably, however, we construct the pan or receiver with front and back portions which in a sense are substantially hinged or pivoted, in that they are capable of bein g carried inward or outward at more or less of an angle, so as to vary the width of the pan, and to whatever length or width the said pan or receiver may be adjusted; suit-able means are provided for securing the parts thereof in their adjusted relations. The pan may at the time of its manufacture be provided with the means for securing the parts together; but such means need not of necessity be applied until the pan is about to be fitted to its place, and this can then be readily accomplished by the workman or other person in charge.

Our improved ash pan or receiver is provided with the ordinary means for enabling the pan to be withdrawn from beneath the grate, and it is alsoprovided with a suitable bail or handle for the purpose of lifting and carrying the pan in the hand. Said bail is capable of ready adjustment in conformity with the lengthening or shortening of the pan, and it possesses an advantage in the form of its connection with or attachment to the ends of the pan, in that no outward projections from the pan are necessary which would prevent the ends or sides of the latter from fitting closely or snugly against the walls of the fireplace.

' Reference being had to the accompanying drawings, A represents our improved ash pan or receiver as a whole, and which in the pres ent instance is constructed, preferably, of two parts 1 and 2, each being formed with a bottom portion 3 and a front portion 4 and a back portion 5. The said parts 1 and 2 are each open at one end, as indicated at 6, and one of said parts is fitted in the other telescopically, so as to be capable of moving or sliding back and forth therein. Turned or bent upwardly from the bottom portion 3 of each of said parts and at the outer ends thereof is an end portion 7, which is preferably rectangular in shape, and turned or bent inwardly from both the front and back portions 4 5, at the outer ends of the parts of the pan, are the corresponding wings or flanges 8 8, the latter preferably being on the inner sides of the said end portions 7. The said wings or flanges could be substantially rectangular in shape or straight up and down on their adjacent edges; butin order to save as much material as possible in the construction of the pan they are made beveled or tapering toward the bottom of the pan, as at 7*.

Our improved ash pan or receiver is constructed of sheet-iron or other suitable sheet metal capable of retaining the shape or posi IOO tion to which the parts thereof may be bentthat is to say, as long as no opposing weight or strain is eXerted-thereon-and it is upon such quality of the metal of the pan that we partly depend for effecting the transverse extension or adjustability to increase or diminish the width of the pan. Thus, for instance, the length of the pan or receiver is altered or changed by pushing or forcing the parts 1 and 2 thereof together or by drawing them apart, as the case may be,and whenever it is desired to increase or diminish the width of the pan the front portion 4 and the back portion 5 (either or both) are bent or turned outwardly or inwardly, as the case may be, and said portions 4 and 5 will retain the positions to which they are bent or turned. It is essential, however, to secure the wings 8 and the end portions 7 together, so that the two parts of the pan, including its end portions and its front and back portions, will all be firmly held in their adjusted relative positions, and it is also necessary to prevent the parts 1 and 2 of the pan from falling apart whenever the pan is lifted with its weight of ashes. For such purposes various different means can be employed; but we have shown herein certain preferred means which we will nowdescribe. The edges of both the front and back portions 4 5 of each part of the pan are formed with turned-down flanges 10 and 12, respectively, for the purposes of strength and finish, and the flanges 12 of the part 2 embrace or overlap the flanges 10 of the part 1 in such manner that guides are formed for the said part 1 additional to the guides therefor which are formed by the front and back portions of the said part 2. In addition, however, to' serving merely the function of guides the said flanges 12 are sometimes utilized as the means for securing the parts 1 and 2 of the pan in their adjusted relations, and which is effected by simply hammering down the said flanges 12 upon the flanged edges 10, which holds the two parts together sufficiently secure in many instances. As an additional means to provide for the security of the fastening between the parts 1 and 2 we also prefer to form either the front or backportion or the bottom portion 3(one or both) of one of the parts of the pan with a series of openings or holes 13, while in the corresponding portion or portions of the other part we form a single opening or hole 14, and a fastening rivet or pin 15 is employed, passing through said latter hole and through that one of the series of holes 13 which corresponds to the desired adjustment of the length of the pan. In like manner the end portions 7 of the pan are provided with turned-down flanges 16,

which serve as guides in which the upper edges of the wings 8 8 move, and each of said end portions is provided with two openings or holes 17 (one for each of said wings) for the insertion of rivets 18 for securing or fastening the wings in place after the front and back portions (either or both) have been turned either outwardly or inwardly. The upper edges of said wings are curved or rounded at 19, so as to permit the wings to work properly behind the flanges 16 of the end portions, since it will be understood that in the outward or inward turning of the front and back portions 4 5 of the parts of the pan the said upper edges of the said wings each describe a movement in the arc of a circle, of

which each of the angles a a between the bottom 3 and front and back portions 4 5 may be said to constitute the center. Therefore by rounding the upper edges of the wings no bindingoccurs between the wings and the said guide-flanges therefor. Each of the said wings 8 is provided with a series of holes or openings 20, arranged in the arc of a circle concentric with that on which its curved edge is struck, and whenever the desired adjustment or extensibility has been effected in the width of the pan the rivets 18 are slipped into the proper openings 20, and then upset at their ends or otherwise made secure to fasten the wings firmly to the end portions 7.

From the above it will be seen that any desired adjustment of the pan in either direction can be quickly accomplished. It will, too, be understood that the respective forms of adjustment are capable of considerable modification without altering the general character or nature of our improvements.

The front portion 4 of each of the parts of our improved ash pan or receiver is formed with a broad lip 25, which together form a longitudinal ash guard or fender 26, turned outwardly from the pan at a suitable, angle, and which serves to prevent ashes falling onto the floor or hearth from the rounded or curved side of the grate, anysuch ashes being deflected by the fender into the pan. In the use or employment of this fender one of the overlapping flanges 12 hereinbefore referred to will be formed thereon, as is shown inthe drawings; but of course when the said fender is not used or employed said flange will be formed directly on the edge of the front portion 4 of the part 2 of the pan.

From the construction shown and described it will be understood that the front and back portions of the pan are separately or independently adjustable, and it will be seen that when only one of said portions is altered'or changed in outward position the other portion can, if desired, be turned or moved inwardly, so as to occupy atruly-vertical position with respect to the bottom portion 3. It is our purpose and intention, however, -to-always keep or retain the rear or back portion of the pan at more or less of an angle out-s wardly relative to the bottom portion 3, for in this way when the pants inserted in the fireplace beneath the grate the upper edge only of the said rear or back portion comes into contact with the rear or-back-wall of'the fireplace, thus leaving a space between said wall and the remaining surfaceorarea of-th'e said back portion of the pan. The-particular advantage derived from this arrangement is that when the pan is once removed and then again inserted beneath the grate any ashes that may have fallen from the grate in the meantime will be carried along or scraped together by the pan in such manner as to be gathered into the space between the pan and the fireplace-wall, and such ashes do not prevent the pan from being pushed in until the upper edge of the rear or back portion thereof again touches or engages the rear wall of the fireplace. In this way the pan is not prevented from again receivingall the ashes from the grate, (as would be the case if the back portion of the pan were truly vertical,) and no further accumulation of falling ashes can take place between the pan and the fireplace-wall. It is evident also that no such accumulations can occur between the ends of the pan and the side walls of the fireplace after the proper adjustment has been made in the length of the pan.

To enable the pan to be withdrawn from beneath the grate, we provide the same at the front with an ordinary loop 30 for the insertion of a finger of the hand, and we also provide the pan with a bail or handle 31 to enable the same to be lifted and carried about. Inasmuch as the said pan is adjustable or extensible as to its length, it is necessary also to make the bail or handle adjustable in conformity therewith, since the ends of the bail are attached to the end portions of the pan. The said bail or handle is detachable from the pan, so asto be removed when the pan is in use, and while different forms of adjustment can be provided therefor we prefer the simple and efiective' construction herein shown. Thus secured to each of the end portions 7 of the pan, on the inner side thereof, is a plate or keeper 40, that is set out from said end portion and is formed or provided with a vertical slot or notch 41, terminating at its upper end with an enlargement 42. The ends 43 of the handle or bail 31v are bent outwardly and upwardly, as shown, and by placing said bail between the end portions 7 in the manner shown in Fig. 2, so that the ends thereof will pass up the notches 41 and engage the solid portions of the keepers on the upper edges of the enlargements 42, the said pan can be readily lifted. At some point of the grip portion 50 the said handle or bail is formed with a number of coils 51, and by stretching or compressing said coils, as well as by properly bending the bail at the ends, the bail can be readily adjusted to the differentlengths to which the pan may be adjusted. By attaching the ends of the bail to the inner sides of the end portions of the pan the outer sides of said portions are left free to snugly fit against the side Walls of the fireplace, which is a decided advantage.

It will be understood that we are not limited to the details of construction and arrangement of the several parts herein shown and described.

What we claim is 1. An ash pan or receiver formed of end telescopic sections, each of said sections having an end wall and adjustable front and back walls, and means for securing the parts in their adjusted positions.

2. An ash pan or receiver formed 'of telescopic sections, each having an end wall and adjustable back and front walls, wings on said back and front walls and means for securing the parts in their adjusted position.

3. An ash pan or receiver formed of telescopic sections, each having an end wall, and adjustable front and back walls, one of said adjustable walls on both sections being provided with an ash-fender inclined outwardly from its upper portion.

4. An ash pan or receiver formed of telescopic sections and having end walls, and a handle having means for detachable connection with the end wall, said handle being adjustable in length to permit its use under differentadjustments of the ash-pan sections.

5. An ash-pan having fixed end and adjustable front and back walls each provided with wings, guides on said end walls for said wings and means for securing the said front and back walls in adjusted position.

6. An ash pan or receiver constructed of two parts joined together telescopically, and each part having an end portion turned up from the bottom of the pan, front and back portions also turned or bent upward from the bottom portion, and provided with inwardlyturned wings or flanges, means for securing the two parts in their adjusted relations, and means for adj ustably securing the said or flanges to the said end portions.

7. An ash pan or receiver constructed of two parts joined together telescopically,outer end portions bent or turned up from the bot tom portion of the pan, and having clownwardly and inwardly turned flanges at their upper edges, front and back portions also bent or turned upward from the bottom por-' tion,and provided with inwardly-turned wings rounded on their upper edges and working behind said flanges, means for securing the two parts of the pan in their adjusted relations, and means for adj ustably securing the said wings to the said end portions.

In testimom whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

HUGH WILLIAM HUFF. JOSEPH M. LOTSPEIC'H.

Witnesses:

A. C. VINsoN, J. M. RAY.

wings 

